Jenzabar University

Brevard College, in an effort to ensure the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and the wider community, will take the following measures in an effort to address the concerns about the possible spread of the COVID-19 virus. Brevard College leadership will continue to monitor the situation and provide further instructions, as needed. Students, faculty, and staff should continue to check their Brevard College email.

SCREENING

Students must complete a daily symptom screening questionnaire on BC Radar (Campus Pass) and have their temperature checked at a designated temperature check station.

The protocols below are to be followed if you receive a RED CARD after completing the daily screening questions via BC Radar (or written questions if applicable).

• Do not report to class or work.
• Do not go to a temperature check station.
• Students, please email covid19@brevard.edu.
• Faculty & Staff, please contact your Supervisor
• Contact your health care provider OR Blue Ridge Health at 828-883-5550 (Students should contact Blue Ridge Health).

If you are given clearance by a healthcare provider, please provide the written documentation to covid19@brevard.edu or your supervisor.

In the event you are in quarantine or test positive for COVID-19, please email COVID19@brevard.edu and attach any paperwork from your healthcare provider or health department. Please follow the steps in the flowcharts from Transylvania County Health Department.

TESTING

• Campus-wide testing will occur every Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM the Auxiliary Gym. Participants do not need an appointment to get tested.
• Our goal is to test every member of the campus once each month. To achieve that goal, we will conduct random testing of twenty-five percent of the campus community each week. The twenty-five percent will include students, faculty, and staff and will be required. We realize some of our campus community prefer to test weekly. Weekly testing is encouraged but not required. Those wishing to get tested weekly can use the weekly testing events. 
• Student-Athlete Testing Plans: Our athletic conference requires that all members of the football and men's and women's basketball teams test weekly. The requirement for the other sports are twenty-five percent of the rosters every other week. We felt this was not adequate for our campus. We have decided on the following testing protocol for our student-athletes. We think the protocol below will provide the best opportunity to prevent an outbreak among our teams.
• Football, Men's and Women's Basketball: 100% will test weekly. 50% of the roster for all other sports will test weekly.

GUIDANCE FOR EXPOSURE/POSITIVE TEST

These flowcharts provide guidance for procedures to follow for anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 OR tests positive for COVID-19.

• Exclusion Flow Chart
• Close Contact Flow Chart
• Positive Test Flow Chart
• Symptoms Flow Chart

Faculty Classroom Protocols 

Student Classroom Protocols

The recent global developments around COVID-19 will challenge Brevard College’s ability to deliver on our educational mission. Safety and health concerns have generated stringent protocols to mitigate the spread of the virus, which will affect the environment of the teaching and learning experience at Brevard College. Nevertheless, the faculty and staff are committed to experiential teaching and will adapt our shared pedagogy to these circumstances. It will be a learning experience for all of us, faculty, staff, and students, as we construct unique and focused experiences, reflect on our successes and failures, and apply what we learn on a daily basis as we continually strive to improve experiential learning in these unique circumstances.

Our goal for this fall is to resume experiential learning inside and outside the classroom, preserving as much of the valuable face-to-face modality of teaching in our academic programs as possible. At the same time, we recognize the need for flexibility in the modality of teaching for some faculty and students who may face greater health risks because of COVID-19. Some faculty may require an online or hybrid modality of teaching to accomplish their academic responsibilities. Some students may require online resources to accomplish their academic goals.

Academic Calendar 

The modified academic calendar has been approved by the Executive Leadership Team. The goals in creating the new calendar were to:

1. Develop a calendar that allows us the use of the face-to-face modality of teaching as much as possible.
2. Develop a calendar that allows for, if necessary, appropriate social distancing in classrooms and throughout the campus for the safety of faculty, staff, and students.
3. Develop a calendar that eliminates major breaks to both expedite, if necessary, online course delivery and minimize student’s potential exposure during travel.

The Spring 2021 Final Exam Schedule can be found here.

Instructional Strategies

Instruction for the 2021 spring semester will occur with the intent to provide, as much as possible, for meaningful face-to-face interactions between faculty and students while meeting social distancing protocols. Faculty and students should prepare for the spring semester with this in mind. However, given the fluidity and unpredictability of the pandemic situation, faculty and students should prepare for the eventuality that any class may need to be taught online for a limited time. Therefore, faculty should prepare, as much as possible, for the following scenarios:

1. Students in COVID-19 quarantine/isolation completing their assignments online and/or virtually attending class.
2. A course having to move online temporarily because of COVID-19 quarantine/isolation and/or contact tracing.
3. A legal mandate from the public health department for students to “stay in place” in the residence halls and the faculty to stay at home. 

Faculty at high risk, according to CDC guidelines, for COVID-19, may request to fulfill their teaching responsibilities using alternate teaching modalities. (Human Resources is developing a process for faculty and staff to make remote work requests.) Courses delivered by an alternate modality (such as online) will be clearly identified in the course schedule so that all students are aware of the teaching modality of the course. Advisors will work closely with students to ensure that students take courses in their preferred modality as much as possible.

Revised Course Schedule

To accomplish the goal of maintaining the face-to-face modality of teaching as much as possible, the course schedule has been revised following social distancing protocols. The number of sections and the maximum number of students in a section of a course are determined using the following criteria:

1. Enrollment
2. Nature of instruction/activities
3. Size of the classroom space
4. The maximum number of students allowed in a classroom space following social distancing guidelines.

Larger spaces on campus not normally considered as instructional spaces, including outdoor spaces, are being considered and incorporated into the course schedule as appropriate.

Courses that need to be taught in an alternate modality have yet to be determined. A determination on these courses will be made as soon as possible and indicated on the course schedule.

Classroom and Instructional Resources

1. As soon as classroom assignments are finalized, a survey will be sent to faculty to assess classroom needs, including technology. If necessary, classroom assignments will be adjusted based on survey responses.
2. Planning is in place for adding technology to the classrooms. In particular, if possible, a microphone and speaker system will be installed in teaching spaces. Classroom technology for recording class sessions, if necessary, is also in the planning stage.
3. CANVAS and Online Pedagogy Resources: James Brooks, Educational Technology Specialist, will be sending an email to the faculty with resources and information. 

Syllabus Statements for COVID-19 Scenarios

Important Information for Returning Students

ATHLETIC UPDATES 

• The USA South athletic conference is developing a plan for the 20/21 athletics schedule following the NCAA guidelines to minimize opportunities for exposure to the Novel Coronavirus.
• The Brevard College Athletic Department saw its highest academic success in both average cumulative GPA and semester GPA since the beginning of the NCAA era during the Spring 2020 semester. The Athletic department is proud of all the student-athletes hard work and dedication in the classroom this academic year.  
  • The athletic department's overall semester GPA was 3.187.
  • The department's overall cumulative GPA average was 3.121. 
  • The Cheer team had the highest semester GPA with a 3.793.
  • Cycling, Women's Tennis, and Women's Soccer also performing well this semester with semester GPA's of 3.531, 3.528 and 3.563 respectively.
  • Women's Lacrosse (3.418), Cheer (3.548) , Climbing (3.446) and Men's Cross Country (3.508) had the highest team cumulative GPAs.
  • 32 student-athletes had a perfect 4.0 semester. 
  • Over 110 Brevard College student-athletes were named to the Dean's List.
  • 78 student athletes were named to Honor Roll.

NCAA Guidelines:

• COVID-19 Coaches Webinar
• Core Principles of Resocialization of Collegiate Sport
• Core Principles of Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Frequently Asked Questions
• Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Action Plan Considerations
• Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Developing Standards for Practice and Competition